While elastic fibers have been known and used for some time in making processed (e.g., woven or knitted) goods, their use is not without shortcomings. For example, because elastic yarns yield under tension, special equipment must be employed for collecting the fiber and for processing it into goods. Further, since elastic fibers generally have shortcomings, such as low strnegth, poor dyeability, poor light fastness, poor lubricity or poor hand and feel, they are frequently employed ultimately associated with one or more relatively inelastic companion fibers, such as, for example, by wrapping or comingling, so that the relatively inelastic fiber contributes its properties and/or masks the adverse properties of the elastic fiber. While this composite yarn concept has many benefits, it is not without its own problems. For example, the relatively inelastic yarn is an elongation limiting factor in relationship to the elastic yarn. Usually as the result of the need to render the composite yarn stretchable to the degree desired without breaking the relatively inelastic companion fiber, or since low modulus elastic fibers stretch significantly, the composite yarn is formed in a manner such that during the composite formation, the elastic fiber is stretched or elongated. The resultant wound package which results from these procedures has a large stored energy due to the high recoverable extension of the material on the package and this leads to excessive pressure on the package. To avoid multiplying these pressures and causing poor unwrapping characteristics, relatively small packages are formed. This, in turn, inherently leads to inefficiencies in processing these composite yarns into goods.
This application incorporates by reference in its entirety, the subject matter of grandparent application Ser. No. 178,661, filed Aug. 18, 1980, and now abandoned, which discloses melt extruded latent contractable elastic filaments which are formed by melt extruding certain segmented crosslinked thermoplastic polymers to form filaments, which filaments, when heat processed at elevated temperatures, significantly contract to yield an elastic filament. That application also discloses the formation of composite covered yarn comprising said latent contractable melt extruded filaments. In addition, that application discloses processes for forming articles from said latent contractable filaments or covered yarns comprising said contractable filaments and subsequently contracting said yarns to form an elastic article.